St Aidan’s Day Care Centre at Mill Road, Gorey.

Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), IMPACT and SIPTU have commenced limited industrial action at St Aidan’s Day Care Centre due to the non-payment of increments for the last number of years.

The current action will not affect service users, as full care to all service users is being provided by our members.

Dave Morris, SIPTU said “Funding has reduced significantly over the last five years and some staff have not been replaced.

“The existing staff have co-operated with the reconfiguration of services and maintained services despite the funding difficulties.

“A recent HIQA inspection reported favourably on service provision within the Care Centre.

“Staff have already taken a pay cut and have agreed to reduced sick pay entitlements.

“However, the non-payment of increments is a step too far and staff decided unanimously by ballot to proceed with industrial action.”

St Aidan’s provide services for people with a wide range of disabilities, children with special needs and the elderly.

They provide services for over 300 people in North Wexford including residential care, day services for the elderly and adults with special needs, pre-school education for children with special needs, rehabilitative training and respite care in the community.

The Labour Court back in January 2013 stated that the staff had an entitlement to increments yet to date, St Aidan’s management and the HSE have not addressed the issue.